southern 100 man jailed

A MAN who threw a beer can on the Southern 100 course seconds before riders were due to speed past has been jailed for nine and a half months.

Martin Lee Morris, aged 28, was involved in a drunken altercation when he threw the beer can on to the circuit during practice for last year's race.

Judge Alastair Aitken Montgomerie, who sentenced Morris to nine and a half months in jail told him: "You knew the road was closed and racing was in progress. You threw the can which, as a result, put the lives of racers and others at risk and you were clearly intoxicated. Be under no illusion Mr Morris, it was more good luck than judgement that no-one was injured or indeed killed."

The father-of-one from Castletown, Isle of Man admitted to a charge of wilfully endangering public safety, but denied intentionally throwing the can onto the circuit, arguing that he threw it at someone but missed.

Both Mr Morris and his advocate Ian Kermode pleaded to the court not to send him to prison because of the effect on his family as Morris is the main carer for his three-year-old daughter.

But Mr Montgomerie said the impact on the family should not be used as a 'get out of jail card' and that he should have thought of the consequences to his family before throwing the beer can.

The court heard also that, were it not for the bravery of another member of the public, who ran on to the Billown Course to retrieve the can, there could have been a serious accident